NUCLEAR POWER PLANT 181 ‘Among the nuclear radiations produced in a reactor the alpha and beta particles, thermal (slow) neutrons, fast neutrons and gamma rays are harmful nee and must be shielded againss. OF these only the fast neutrons and gamma rays present some serious difficulty in designing the reactor shielding, since alpha and beta particles can be stopped by a fraction of an inch of a solid substance, while thermal neutrons can be automatically guarded against with a shield thick enough to provide protection against fast neutrons and gamma rays. The effectiveness of a nuclear shield against gamma rays approximately depends upon its mass. A heavy material like lead will be a more effective shield per unit weight, than a light element suchas carbon. On the other hand, light elements, particularly hydrogen are much more effective per unit weight than heavy elements for fast neutron shielding. Concrete is a material that offers a com- promise between these two extreme characteristics of shielding material for both gamma rays and fast neutrons. It is a material which has low cost and is easily available. ‘The actual design of the shield, however, involves the following considerations : @) The total amount of radiation produced in the reactor. (a) The amount of radiation that can be permitted to leak through the shield. (iii) The shielding properties of material. 6.3.4. Power of a Nuclear Reactor ‘The fission rate of a reactor i.c., total number of nuclei undergoing fission per second in a reactor is =nCoNV=4,, oNV where, n= Average neutron density ie., number per m’, Werage speed in m/s, $,, = 2C = Average neutron flux, N= Number of fissile nuclei /m®, = Fission cross-section in m®, and V= Volume of the nuclear fuel. Since 3.1 x 10° fission per second generate a power of one watt, the power P of a nuclear reactor is given by, Bu LOOM, aid © 31x10 = 8.2 x 101 nCo NV watt .2 x 10 9, 6 NV watt ‘otal number of fissile nuclei in the reactor fuel = m x 6.02 x 10%/235 where, m is the mass of the U2 fuel. It is known that fission cross-section o of U25 for thermal neutrons is 582 barns = 582 x 10-8 m2, 8.2% 107! x py, x 582 x 107% x m » 6.02 x 10% * 235 .77 x 10-2 m 6, watt .8 x 10-1? mnC watt. Now, NV ¥.